Sarasota Dreams (58 page)

“Did I hear Charles ask you out on your birthday?”

Ruthie nodded. “He’s taking me to the Ringling Museum of Art and out for dinner afterward.”

“Where is he taking you for dinner?”

“Someplace that has lobster.”

Papa laughed. “In other words, someplace fancy.”

“Have you ever had lobster before?” Ruthie asked.

“Once,” Papa said as he closed his eyes and rubbed his belly. “It was absolutely delightful. It’s one of those foods you can’t get enough of.”

Mother tilted her head back and laughed out loud. “Samuel, I haven’t met a food yet that you can get enough of.”

He grinned. “I do like to eat.”

“You sure do,” Mother said before turning her attention back to Ruthie. “I’ve never had lobster, but I’ve heard it tastes sort of like crab, only better.”

“Then I’m sure I’ll like it.” Ruthie decided to change the subject. “I have to be at Fresh’s first thing tomorrow morning. Mr. Fresh wants all the workers to help him set up, and he says we’ll need to learn how to use the machines.”

Mother cast a concerned glance at Papa. “Our Ruthie has never operated machines before. What if she doesn’t like that job?”

Papa tightened his jaw. “I didn’t think about that. Remember that you don’t have to work there forever. I just want you to have the experience of working for someone outside the family.”

Ruthie didn’t bring up the fact that she was just as concerned about how Rosemary would cope in the souvenir shop as she was about herself working at a job she didn’t like. Papa appeared deep in thought, so perhaps he was thinking the same thing.

S
ome of the men from the church had volunteered to come over and fix the Polks’ house up to make it more attractive to potential buyers. All week the house was filled with workers painting and making small repairs. They painted the outside of the house, and they prepped the inside to be painted the following week. Abe had brought over a couple of fruit trees that would bear fruit in another year or two so they could add that to the listing, which the realtor said would help attract buyers.

Mom went straight home from work on Friday so Charles could have the car for his date. He tried to explain that Ruthie would be just fine riding the bus, but Mom reminded him they’d be getting rid of their car soon and this would probably be one of the last times he’d be able to use it. They’d decided to rent a house in or close to the Mennonite and Amish community of Pinecraft as soon as their house sold.

Charles came home from the farm before lunch. The men were still at the house working, and some of the women had come by bus with food. Mrs. Penner invited Charles to join them, so he did.

“The men have a meeting at the church this afternoon so they will likely leave early but come back to finish their work,” Mrs. Penner said.

“We appreciate everything.”

Mrs. Penner’s eyes twinkled with a knowing look. “I hear you’re taking our Ruthie on a date this afternoon,” she whispered.

“Yes,” he replied. “She said she’s always wanted to go to an art gallery, so I figured I’d take her to the Ringling Museum of Art.”

“That is the best one,” she said. “When Mary first came to live with us, we took her there, hoping she’d find some joy here.” Mrs. Penner shook her head. “But unfortunately it didn’t work. She was always quiet and kept to herself until Abe came along. We prayed for something, and the Lord delivered Abe.”

Charles hadn’t known that about Mary. “Abe and Mary seem very happy now.”

“Ya,” Mrs. Penner agreed. “Mary has turned into a joyful young woman with a sunny disposition. We never thought that would happen.”

“I guess I still have quite a bit to learn about the people in the church,” Charles said. “I used to assume everyone was happy all the time.”

“Neh, not always.” Mrs. Penner placed her hand on his arm and looked him in the eye. “Remember that even Mennonites have troubles. We need the Lord as much as anyone.”

A comfortable silence fell between them before Charles nodded. “Thank you for reminding me.”

“Ya.” She let out a deep sigh. “We have problems, but we handle them differently from outsiders. Before we make any decisions, we are called to first turn to the Lord for direction. Only then should we act, and when we act, it is never in anger … or at least it shouldn’t be.” She chuckled as though she thought of a private joke. “But trust me when I tell you we still feel anger.”

After Mrs. Penner left him to help serve food to the other men, Charles reflected on all the things she’d told him. Now that he thought about it, he could see some of the anger that brewed beneath the surface in some people who didn’t want to give his family a chance. He looked around at the dozen and a half people working on his family home and knew that those people weren’t among those who resisted allowing the Polks into the church fold. These were the folks who took Mom, Pop, and himself at their word and accepted them for who they were right now rather than who they were in the past.

Charles bowed his head, thanked the Lord for all He’d done to take his family to this Christ-centered church, and prayed for guidance and direction on all their future decisions. When he opened his eyes, he saw Mrs. Penner watching him. She smiled and quickly turned back to what she’d been doing while warmth and a sense of joy came over Charles.

After a busy morning, Mrs. Penner shooed him away. “You have something very important to do this afternoon. Go on inside and get cleaned up.”

Ruthie paced as she waited for Charles. Since she’d been given the day off at Fresh’s, she went to the souvenir store and offered to help, but Papa told her he didn’t need her. Rosemary was holed up in the office, which didn’t surprise Ruthie. Although Papa hadn’t verbally expressed his dissatisfaction with his new employee, Ruthie could tell by the way he averted all discussion of Rosemary.

“You have a big date this afternoon, so go home and get yourself ready,” Papa said.

“There isn’t much to do. I’ve already bathed.”

Papa leaned toward her and lowered his voice. “I’m not talking about the outside. Go home and spend some quiet time with the Lord. You should always seek guidance when you are considering a relationship with a man.”

She met his firm gaze and nodded. “Okay.”

“Your mother wants the family to celebrate your birthday tomorrow night, so start thinking about what you want for supper.”

Ruthie smiled. “She already knows.”

“Roast beef hash?”

“Is there anything better?” she asked.

“You are a very unusual young woman,” he said. “Almost too easy to please sometimes.”

Ruthie finally left the store and went home. She was relieved that Mother wasn’t there because her nerves were on edge, and talking only made her condition worse.

As the time slowly passed and the time for Charles to arrive drew closer, she felt as though she might get sick. Papa’s words about spending quiet time with the Lord rang in her head, so she closed her eyes and prayed for her nerves to settle.

At two twenty-five, she peeked out the front window and saw Charles sitting in his car parked at the curb. She inhaled deeply, slowly let the air out of her lungs, and opened the front door. He looked up and smiled. Her belly did one of its drop-roll motions, but she managed to smile back at him.

Charles got out of the car and helped her into the passenger seat before getting into his side of the car. “Mom and Pop wanted us to enjoy the car while we still have it.”

“You’re getting rid of it?” She studied his face, half expecting to see regret, but he seemed perfectly fine.

“Yeah. After hanging out with people from your church, we see how unnecessary it is.”

“Will you miss it?”

“Absolutely, but once we get used to not having it, I’m sure we’ll be just fine. Even having one car was an adjustment, but now that I look back, I realize it was insane to have three cars. We justified it by saying we were scattered in three different directions, and it wasn’t always convenient to have to take a bus or catch a ride with someone else.”

Ruthie didn’t know about such things. “I’ve always had to ride buses, and I’ve never found it inconvenient.”

“Oh, I’m with you on that. We didn’t realize how much money we actually spent on the cars until we didn’t have two of them.” He held up one hand and used his fingers to count. “First, there’s the cost of buying the car. Second, you have to put gas in it and change the oil. Then you have to maintain it, which can be quite costly. After you add the price of insurance, you’re talking some major bucks.”

Ruthie nodded. “That sounds like a lot of money.”

“Even though it’s not cheap to hire a driver, we’re still coming out ahead.” When they stopped at a red light, he turned to her. “Let’s not talk about money today. This day is all about you and your birthday. It’s your twentieth, right?”

“Ya.” Ruthie never liked all the focus and attention to be on her, but she appreciated Charles’s interest. “I find it hard to believe that I’m this old.”

“Turning twenty-one did that to me.” He slowed the car and took a turn before speeding back up. Ruthie watched the road as he maneuvered the car on the busy Sarasota streets, amazed that he seemed to instinctively know what to do. “So how’s the new job?”

“Different. We haven’t officially opened yet, which is good because I have so much to learn. I have to admit I’m nervous about messing up.”

“I bet. At least you’ll be dishing out something good.”

The sound of sirens blared in the distance. Ruthie heard them but only gave them a brief thought.

Charles pointed up ahead. “We’re here.” They pulled into a parking lot and found a spot not far from the entrance. “I hope you enjoy this place as much as I have.”

Ruthie accepted Charles’s hand as he led her toward the main entrance. As they strolled through the museum, she was spellbound by the sculptures and fountains.

Charles pointed out some things he was familiar with. “That’s the
Fountain of Tortoises
, a replica of one in Rome,” he explained.

“Rome,” she repeated softly. “That is like another world.”

“It is,” Charles agreed as he tugged her toward a room with a special exhibition. “Some of the art is permanent, but this will only be here another week.”

Ruthie remained captivated by everything she saw. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Same here,” he replied.

They walked through the museum and stopped at whatever interested her. Charles knew more than she thought he would about art, but what he didn’t know, he enjoyed reading on the plaques next to the exhibits.

Finally he glanced at his watch. “We have another fifteen minutes before they close. If I’d known you’d enjoy it this much, I would have suggested coming earlier.”

“Oh no, we’ve been here two hours, and I’ve seen as much as I can handle in one day. It’s all so beautiful and … different.”

Charles stopped, turned her around to face him, and gazed down into her eyes. “Just like you, Ruthie.”

In spite of her cheeks blazing, she couldn’t budge. Having Charles so close and giving her such an intimate look had rendered her incapable of moving. She felt as though they were the only living creatures in the world until she heard a man clearing his throat behind her.

“Sorry to interrupt, folks, but we’re closing in a few minutes.”

Charles licked his lips and nodded. “We were just leaving.”

As they stepped outside, Charles thought about what had just happened. He’d almost kissed Ruthie. What would she have done? Before being involved with the Mennonite church, he wouldn’t have had to worry about it, but he didn’t know if he was allowed to show affection, and if he did, if it would be okay to kiss her in public.

Ruthie was being awfully quiet, which had him worried. “What are you thinking?” he asked.

She shrugged but didn’t answer. He opened her door and helped her into the car. As he walked around to his side, he tried to gather his thoughts enough to discuss what had just happened, but his mind had been rendered incapable of rational thinking.

So he decided to just come out and share with Ruthie the first thing that popped into his head. He took her hand and looked her in the eye. “I wanted to kiss you, Ruthie.”